Justinian's code refined Roman laws and Justinian reviewed the laws in greater depth than it had ever been before. The new refined code of laws was called Corpus iuris civilis (Body of the Civil Law). The laws were changed and added to by later Roman emperors but in the big picture, Justinian's code laid the foundations of Roman law for years to come.
Iconclasm caused the demolition of many famous religious works of art. This movement was inaugurated by Emporer Leo the III. Leo thought that the worshipping of these icons was sinful and that material items did not deserve to be worshipped like gods.
Like Classical Greece, Byzantine scholars focused on humanitites (literature, history, and philosophy). They did this because they were highly influenced by Greek society.
The church and the state had a close relationship until 1054 when the patriarch and the pope excommunicated each other. Byzantine patriarchs and Roman popes argued over the independence of christianity and the pope's rule over its followers. The state thought that they should have the prime authority over the church and the state. This disagreement is what caused the seperation of the eastern and western churches. The eastern part became known as the Eastern Orthodox church, and the western part became knøwn as the Roman Catholic church.
By - Alli and Minerva
Edited by Rachel
Edited by Veronica